(Sybil’s POV)I was extremely grateful that Emma had shown up when she did. I really didn’t want to deal with all of this on my own. Now that I knew, or at least suspected, that John had read the lies that were being spread about me and the reason for our marriage, I had a sinking feeling that he wouldn’t believe me if I tried to explain that none of it was true. I didn’t know what I would do the next time I had to face him.After a while, I knew that I should get ready for my meeting with Jane. “Sorry to cut this short,” I said to Emma, “but I should get dressed and go see my lawyer.”“I can drive you, if you want.” She gave me a supportive smile.“Would you?” I looked at her. “That would be great. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to sit in on all the legal stuff. Believe me, there are times when I wish that I didn’t have to listen to all those complicated terms.”She laughed. “I completely understand that! I actually have a book in the car that I’m in the middle of reading. I’ll be able
(John’s POV)After signing the divorce papers, I just had to get out of that room. I’d had just about all I could take of Sybil sitting there pretending that she hadn’t paid that guy to take pictures of us. Just recently, she’d acted horrified when I told her about the indecent photos of us. She’d claimed not to know about any of that, and she was so convincing that I actually believed her and felt awful for telling her everything. I was such an idiot! How could I let myself be fooled like that?I couldn’t believe my eyes this morning when I woke up on her sofa and decided to check my phone to see what was going on in the world. I went on a news website, and there was one of the photos. At first, before I read the article, I was afraid that the photos had resurfaced for some reason, despite my family’s efforts to keep that from happening.I wasn’t really afraid for myself, because I was used to being in the spotlight for both negative and positive reasons. Because of who my family
(Sybil’s POV)The day after the meeting with John and our lawyers, I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to anyone or go anywhere. Emma had taken me to Darcy’s as promised yesterday, which was a nice distraction, but I knew that it was only temporary and that I couldn’t run away from my problems forever.I couldn’t stop thinking about the way that John had looked at me at the meeting. His eyes had been full of hatred. I knew that he was hurt by what he assumed to be true. I couldn’t blame him for feeling that way, but if he had just given me a chance to explain that what the article said about me wasn’t true, maybe we could have talked things through. Then he wouldn’t have signed the divorce papers impulsively.Or would he still have refused to believe me? Probably, knowing him. He could be very stubborn at times, not willing to change his way of thinking, even when there was actual proof that he was wrong.Still, I would have liked an opportunity to at least try to clear up the misun
(Sybil’s POV)Everyone said that a man will grant you anything after sex. I was presently trying to see if there was any truth to this theory. My husband John had come home earlier after being away on business for a month. As soon as he walked in the door, even before saying hello, he ripped my clothes off and dragged me into the bedroom. I went willingly. We rarely had sex as it was, and we both needed this right now, after being alone for all that time. We were making up for lost time, and there was a sense of urgency that wasn’t usually there. Afterwards, I lay on top of him, feeling his chest slowly rising under me. I was glowing after our lovemaking. I gazed at him and decided that now would be a good time to bring up what was on my mind. “Where is my anniversary present?” I smile playfully as I nuzzle into his chest.It wasn’t that long ago that I was working as his secretary until that fateful night when, after working long hours, we shared our first night together. That
(Sybil’s POV)I gawked at John, hurt by his words. “Trapped you? If I remember correctly, you were the one who decided that we should get married.”“That was before I knew how devious you were,” he spat, his eyes narrowed. “You only pretended to agree to the contract. I should have known you would do this to me!”“Do what?” I didn’t like this side of him at all.“Try to saddle me with a little brat! Then it would be impossible to make a clean break when our time is up.” John shook his head in disappointment at my perceived deception. I couldn’t figure out who could have possibly poked holes in all the condoms. All I knew was that I wasn’t capable of such a vile thing. “How many times do I have to tell you that it wasn’t me?”He glowered at me and shifted so that we were no longer touching. “I know it was you. Nobody else ever touches my stuff.”That last part was true. For as long as I’d known him, John was always a very private person. It was very clear from day one of our marri
(Sybil’s POV)After Mary left I got out of bed and put some clothes on. I was hungry, so I went down to the kitchen. I had made some ceviche earlier today, because I knew it was John’s favorite. I hadn’t known at the time that he would be home for our anniversary, but I wanted to be prepared just in case. He wasn’t around now to enjoy it, of course, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have some.After taking it out of the fridge, I served myself a plate. I sat down at the dining room table and poured myself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I raised the glass in a silent toast to the death of my dream of being Mrs. John Rutherford for real.Mary suddenly burst into the dining room at full speed. “Pardon me, madam,” she panted, “but Miss Amelia is running a fever. The doctor is with her now.”I looked up at her in concern. “Oh, no!”Amelia was John’s little sister, although he was old enough to be her father. Their parents had her when they were close to fifty. From what I understood, after John
(Sybil’s POV)They both turned around when they heard the door open. I got a good look at the woman and immediately recognized her. It was none other than Willa Worthington, a famous actress who just happened to be John’s former fiancée. She had been abroad for the past three years, but evidently she had just returned.I was very well acquainted with her, too. We had known each other our entire lives. We weren’t exactly best friends growing up, far from it. My parents had worked as servants for her wealthy parents. I got along well with Mr. and Mrs. Worthington, and they had even offered to pay for my education, something that Willa clearly resented. We ended up going to the same schools, where she and her snooty friends used to torment me, making fun of me because my family was significantly less wealthy than theirs. I wasn’t really all that surprised to see how lovey-dovey John and Willa seemed to be with each other, to be honest. After all, our marriage had never meant anything
(Sybil’s POV)The driver and I were chatting away when all of a sudden, he went silent and stared at the rearview mirror. “Miss,” he said, “I think we’re being followed. Is it someone you know?”I turned around to take a look, and immediately recognized John’s car. “I’m afraid so.”“Would you like me to stop the car?” He gave me a look of concern.“Yes, please.” As soon as he stopped the car, I got out. I turned back to him. “Would you mind waiting? This will just take a minute.”“No problem, miss.” The driver nodded.I marched angrily over to John’s car. “What do you want now? Aren’t you needed at the hospital?”“Get in.” John gave me an icy stare, his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly.Against my better judgment, I got into his car, but not before making eye contact with the taxi driver. The driver seemed to understand that I would not need a ride after all, and drove away.John turned toward me once I was seated beside him. “You’re not wearing the earrings